Day #1 of ER..

2

24601NoMore

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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Hey, gang. Well, after a very long transition (announced /started end of Summer and only finished last Friday), I'm officially "done" and have ER'd.

It's been really weird. I keep picking up my phone to check email and all that's there is a (not so) friendly message saying "The Administrator has disabled access from this device" with no emails as they've all been vaporized and totally wiped from my phone. Guess I'm officially off the roster!

Have been dealing with several mid-level health problems since November, and am not getting a whole lot better. So, today was spent running around to three different Dr's appointments. Heck of a way to spend my first "work" day in ER!

Also have (blushing to admit) watched far more Hallmark movies than a man should ever watch, joined the "Older Person's" activities center and actually went to Big Boy (Shoeneys in different parts of the country) to "celebrate" my ER for breakfast on Saturday. Didn't go out out to a fancy dinner / actual celebration on Friday or Saturday night as I wasn't yet healthy enough to. But..Big Boys..Hallmark movies..Old Persons center..doctors appointments. REALLY?!!! Is this what ER is? YIKES!!!

Been reading "How to Retire Happy Wild and Free" but aside from some fairly obvious advice (retire "to" something, find a purpose) am somewhat underwhelmed and bored with it already -on day one :). Will still work to plow through it in the hopes it gets better..after 40+ years of running like a madman on the hamster wheel..it is very hard to get off the wheel and do something else, because "all you know is the wheel". Having a seriously hard time with the self identity part at the moment.

Obviously need to find something to retire "to" and I candidly retired "from" (a highly toxic job that could have literally killed me). So am somewhat directionless at present..and the health issues are preventing me from doing things I'd otherwise normally do, which is making matters even more challenging.

Dealing with some depression and anxiety as well, which is not being helped one bit by the market volatility and the current political craziness. But happy to have at least had the ability to transition out gradually over 4-5 months vs going fully "cold turkey" end of Summer. That part was good. Retiring in winter, when the days are nothing but gray and cold..not as good. (In hindsight, one piece of advice I'd have - retire in a nice season with good weather!!) Hard to do much and am going a bit stir crazy - that is, when I'm not spending my days doing nothing but Dr. appointments!

Anyway..I know some of you thought I'd "never" actually do this, so thought you may be interested to hear the update.

Cheers..
 
Congratulations! Sorry your day was not fab but on the other hand you made it out alive and nowhere to go but up!
 
It will only get better. Hang in there.
P.S. I also watch too many Hallmark movies, not to mention "Lifetime". lol
 
I think your health issues are impacting your mood. It will get better:))
 
Congratulations! In time you’ll wonder how you had time to work!
 
Congratulations!

Sorry to hear that you have some health issues and spent much of your first day at the doctor. But look at it this way—you didn’t have to deal with 50+ emails, sit through 3 boring meetings or pull together a last minute analysis that will sit in the boss’s inbox for a week because they really didn’t need it today.
 
Yeah - I actually have a full day with no Dr. appointments tomorrow. Yay!! (Although they do start again on Weds).

Plan to spend a good chunk of the day updating my financial plan. Stuck my head in the sand on that since the market meltdown that started (literally 30 days after I announced I was retiring) in early Sept. Hoping we go north from Dow ~24K because another 2008 right now would truly not be good.

Aside from that..all my friends (and DW) are spending their days w*rking. I go the park to walk (about all I can do at the moment with the knee issues) and all I see is old(er than me) people in the middle of the day. It's really weird. NO-ONE my age is retired. They are all w*rking. Guess I can take some comfort in getting out before them, and many of them have said I am "lucky" (usually followed by something like SOB), but it is still really weird nontheless.
 
DW and I have realized that I am a "wheel (as in Hamster) runner". Without the Hamster wheel to run on, I'm pretty much lost.

The good advice from "Retire Happy, Wild & Free" (and I'm sure other similar works) is to retire "to" something. Without the "to"....

You have no wheel.

Not fun.

PS: Am considering changing my handle..guess it's time now that "soon" has passed. Will need to get on that..
 
ocean view said:
Congratulations!

Sorry to hear that you have some health issues and spent much of your first day at the doctor. But look at it this way—you didn’t have to deal with 50+ emails, sit through 3 boring meetings or pull together a last minute analysis that will sit in the boss’s inbox for a week because they really didn’t need it today.
Click to expand...

Very true! I'll for sure never miss that or any of the other totally inane and unreasonable nonsense that we all constantly had to deal with.

We have an annual Sales "kickoff" that I always dreaded coming up. That, and the "user conference" with 15,000 of our closest friends. Both were freaking BRUTAL! One year, they expected us to room with some random dude (um, no thanks! I don't share hotel rooms with random people under ANY circumstance). Will NOT miss either one of those fun filled events that the remaining people need to deal with the next couple of months. Both were not just a "j*b" but a "test of endurance".

NO THANKS!....
 
So, the wife got me a great ER present..

A HAMMOCK.

Do I have a great wife, or what?

Once the weather gets decent, I am SO stringing that thing up between a couple of trees at the park. If the Hipsters can do it (and they do), so can I (old guy that I am..) I may have to fight off a couple of SJW Hipsters, but old geezer that I am, they better look out! I carry a mean cane..
 
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Dtail said:
It will only get better. Hang in there.
P.S. I also watch too many Hallmark movies, not to mention "Lifetime". lol
Click to expand...

I recommend Lifetime Movie Network. Good Suspense movies all day and night. Only downside is the bad guy never wins.
 
Mr. Tightwad said:
I recommend Lifetime Movie Network. Good Suspense movies all day and night. Only downside is the bad guy never wins.
Click to expand...


Awesome! I may finally get some actual value out of my nearly $200/mo "ComCrap" cost...(note to self..lower monthly ComCrap cost..as long as I can still watch GOT and the amazing Daenerys Taegareyn and her dragons). Sigh..
 
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Second Monday of retirement and I keep thinking -hey it’s true I don’t have to run to work. Been busy though with building my ‘side hustle website’ and snoozing in my comfy recliner.
Yes it’s cold here so my oversized blanket is always is like a double dose of sedatives.. I seem to have a two hour timer..

Yeah the I don’t have to run to work is surreal.
 
Mr. Tightwad said:
I recommend Lifetime Movie Network. Good Suspense movies all day and night. Only downside is the bad guy never wins.
Click to expand...

Yes I do watch that channel too. I recall one movie where the bad (girl) won in the end. Quite interesting twist.
 
Congrats!

I have a coworker who missed more than a year of work due to chemo...she just returned a few weeks ago. And today, she said she thinks the cancer's back (she's likely in her late 30s/early 40s), and was going to get another CT scan this afternoon.

I am greatful for good health with only a few minor issues, and none that are life threatening. Hope you can get over your hurdle by springtime!
 
Congratulations. Maybe think of spending 1-2 weeks somewhere down south in a warm and sunny place as a reward and celebration of retirement. I did that.
 
Congrats! I do not know if any of your health problems are stress related, but mine were.
I am 10 years retired, and even though I have some activities, I still have time to sit on the porch with my kindle. I think I average a book a week or so.
Below is a picture of the sign on our porch.
 

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Definitely give yourself a few months before you let the "is this all ER is?" thoughts creep into your head. It will take you longer than most - kind of a hunch based on your past posts - to really let go of your work persona, the rigor of a schedule, and the stress.

Given it's winter where you are, that's not the best time of year for a lot of people prone to any sort of anxiety or depression - here you are all of a sudden without a job to go to but little else to motivate you to leave the house (except for a doctor or food).

Stay off the trigger topics - ignore the news of the markets and politics. Don't go to twitter. Maybe even don't come here as much for a few weeks.

Meditate. Enjoy a very long coffee in the mornings. Bundle up and take walks with your wife. Binge some series' on Netflix. (hey the new Marie Kondo Tidying Up might be up your alley and good timing for you). Plan and cook dinners. Chill, and enjoy having no direction for a while. It's ok. It's normal to feel odd without an anchor, but it's ok to float for a bit. Just don't judge it too quickly, there's an adjustment period for all of us.

You're probably going to have a lot of strange dreams about your workplace for a while. They they might get weird and stressful, but they will happen less and less with time.
 
It took a while to decompress from the work self, even when it was my choice. No rushing. Things will relax overtime. I think you’ll be surprised.
 
I thought I’d add: Stay away from depressing movies or the news if it upsets you. You have to work on it to be positive. When one knee failed then the other I just looked around and saw I really didn’t have it too bad. Today I’m retired, free, mobile and happy. Walk with a soothing podcast in playing your ears.

You can do it - the fact that you are talking about it is a great sign.
 
Foodie said:
My friend,


I have found the book "The cure for depression" extremely good. The hundreds of reviews in Amazon confirm that. You might check it out. I think it has the potential to help.


https://www.amazon.com/Depression-C...547625653&sr=1-3&keywords=the+depression+cure



Be grateful of what you have accomplished. Anxiety ends where gratitude starts.


My very best wishes and congratulations!
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I remember hearing an interview with the author of this book that was quite interesting. His name is Stephen Ilardi, and was/is a professor at Kansas. Very engaging conversationalist.

Here’s the episode podcast from ‘09 (provides an embedded player, no need to subscribe):

https://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/aftmag090721
 
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